ALMOST NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!

The recent achievements by our Olympic swimmers have brought up a somewhat "sensitive" issue when it comes to our ability or lack therefore to compete and win in International competitions as team South Africa, especially football (men and women). Bafana Bafana have a dismal record in International football tournaments, assuming they qualify at all. Since `96 and perhaps 1998, the state of our football has rung on like a nightmare on a broadway show and the question always begs to me as to how did the 96 team do so well and the rest have faultered so much! We have the best facilities in Africa by far, a heavily invested sports ministry and a football league thats regarded as the top 10 in the world, based on content and value, yet we fail to beat the smallest and the least funded nations in Africa?! It seems such exploits have been passed onto Banyana Banyana, whom have just been eliminated from the Olympic games and the same song is being sung "it was a great learning experience", if we wanted to go to the Olympics or World Cup to "learn", why dont we send an under 16 team, that way by the time they are 20yrs old, plenty lessons would have been learnt. The swimming team and Springboks have proved that SA is a winning nation, we can be champions of the world if we focus and prepare well, so what is the problem with football?! I think its time we asked these painful questions and answered honestly, otherwise, we will be "learning" by 2040 and billions of rands later. Bafana Bafana are a mighty African team that can beat any in the world, its time someone reminded them of that fact, Gordon, I hope thats you Coach! I hope whilst the Sports Minister and Gauteng MEC of Sports and his many delegates descend upon the london games on a "learning" trip, couple of hundred thousands later, we can come back with answers, as we prepare to launch the Gauteng Sports Village to prepare our athlethes for future competitions. We can learn a few things from the likes of Australia, Jamaica, Brazil or better yet, maybe Bafana must start in the continent and have a chat to Ivory Coast and Ghana and its time we humbled ourselves and asked for help! Lucas, Benni, Fish, Coach Jomo get on the phone guys, call your friends, its time to build a nation of winners!